"You can help by forgetting you ever read this man's name, and remembering the name of at least one victim. You can help by donating to mental health research instead of pointing to gun control as the problem. You can help by turning off the news."

As an employee on a geriatric psychiatric unit, I really think he hit the nail on the head. So many people come through our doors desperate for validation. I had a bipolar patient tell me last year that her family avoids her, and essentially abandoned her because they are afraid of her disorder. Her own family! Can you imagine what that must be like? I don't know what Friday's shooter had going on in his life, but people with mental disorders definitely need more help than what they are getting. I have so many patients, regardless of their diagnosis, who will break down in tears and say they just want someone to love them and accept them, including their own family members. One of my patients burst into tears saying, "I just want my children to hug me again. "

Friday's tragedy had nothing to do with gun laws. The shooter used a weapon that is already illegal in a state with incredibly strict gun laws. Criminals will not follow the law. It's what makes someone a criminal in the first place. No, this was about a man with a mental health issue. Whether it was for the notoriety, for people to finally care (regardless of the positive or negative attention), if he had auditory hallucinations telling him to do it, or if he was actually sincere in trying to inflict as much pain on young children and families as he possibly could, I will never know.

We need to reach out to troubled individuals and get them the help they need.